Splinting Sidelines Sandberg

No Break Found In Injured Finger

SAN FRANCISCO — The Cubs' September Express has lost a first-class passenger-second baseman Ryne Sandberg.

The team hopes his absence is only temporary.

Sandberg dislocated the fourth finger on his right hand in the seventh inning of the Cubs' 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants Monday night. The victory was the ninth in 11 games for the charging Cubs, who suddenly are playing as well as any team in baseball. The streak has carried them from their low-water mark of 64-70 to one game above .500.

Sandberg suffered the injury as he scored from first base on Derrick May's double. As Sandberg slid into home just ahead of Willie McGee's throw from the right-field corner, his finger jammed into umpire Charlie Reliford's shoe.

"It was a freak thing," Sandberg said. "I've never had anything like this happen before."

Sandberg immediately left the game, escorted to the Cubs' clubhouse by trainer Charlie Fierro. He was taken to a hospital for precautionary X-rays, which were negative. He was in the Cubs' clubhouse before Tuesday night's game with his finger in a splint.

The Cubs are hoping Sandberg will be able to play by this weekend. The Cubs have a weekend set against the Florida Marlins beginning Friday night at Wrigley Field.

Until Sandberg can return, Lefebvre plans to use Jose Vizcaino at second base with Rey Sanchez filling in at shortstop.

The injury strikes Sandberg at a moment when both he and the Cubs are playing their best ball of the season.

With his leadoff single in the seventh on Monday, Sandberg had hit safely in 23 of his last 24 games, batting .351 during that span. In less than a month, he raised his average from .298 to .309.

"I read where he admitted that the hand injury he suffered this spring really did affect him," Lefebvre said. "Lately, he's really been going like gangbusters."

The Cubs, meanwhile, keep rolling along, doing the things they need to do to win baseball games. In their victory Monday night, the Cubs turned four double plays over the final six innings as they held off the Giants, who collected 14 hits off of three Cubs pitchers.

The Giants, on the other hand, continue to be the crash-and-burn story of this year's pennant races. They've lost six straight, 13 of their last 19, and have helped turn a nine-game lead at the All-Star break into a 1 1/2-game deficit.

The fact that the new front-runners in the West, the Atlanta Braves, have won 25 of their last 30 games also has helped the Giants' fold.